The present invention relates generally to door locking mechanisms and more particularly to portable devices for attachment at the edge of a door to secure the door against movement when in a closed position.
Prior devices have generally required modification of the door jamb and are therefore inappropriate for use by travellers or for use in apartments where the landlord objects to the modification of the door jamb. An example of such a prior device is described in the patent issued to Sessions, U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,146. With the Sessions device, a bracket placed under the door is engaged with a hole drilled into the door frame.
Recent devices which require no modification to the door jamb are represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,319 issued to Hudon which uses a bar having a key member on one end thereof and is secured at its other end with a padlock. The device is extended through the opening between the closed door and the frame. This device, however, is not useful unless a straight gap is provided between the door and the frame, and the thickness of the locking member must be quite thin. Another device employed for locking the door from the inside of a room is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,088, issued to Tochihara. There a floor engaging device is described which clamps to the bottom of a door and which is adjustable in a downward direction to grip the floorcovering.